Key facts
- Peskov said a decision on an expanded format would follow once Russia understood Europe's readiness to contribute.
- Peskov said Moscow was open to some form of contacts with Europe before any European participation in talks.
- Peskov said no concrete discussions on pre-negotiation contacts with Europe had taken place.
- Peskov declined to comment on EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas representing the EU at negotiations.
- Kallas said Russia does not want a strong counterpart because it wants to push through its maximum demands.
- Russian and Ukrainian officials said some progress was made in Abu Dhabi but cited no breakthrough on territory.
The Kremlin said on November 13, 2026 that Europe must show it is ready to contribute to the Ukraine peace process before a decision is made on letting Europeans join the negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Once we understand their genuine intention and readiness to contribute to the peace process, then it will be possible to make a decision on holding dialogue on a Ukrainian settlement in an expanded format."
The comment suggests Russia has not yet committed to including Europeans in the next round of talks, despite US negotiators saying on November 12 that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to their participation. The talks have so far involved Russian, Ukrainian and US officials, who met in Abu Dhabi this week for the first time in nine months. Two US envoys then flew to Moscow to meet Putin and later met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Dublin.
Peskov said Moscow would be open to some form of contacts with Europe before any European participation in peace negotiations, but that no concrete discussions on this had taken place. Asked how the Kremlin would view French President Emmanuel Macron as a potential interlocutor, Peskov said: "Every hour, reports are appearing that name completely different candidates. So for the time being we are not in a position to say anything specific."
Peskov declined to comment on the possibility of European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas representing the EU at negotiations. Kallas said on November 13 it was not up to Russia to say who should represent the EU in peace talks. "They don't want anybody strong on the other side because they want to push through their maximum demands," she said.